Overview:
Uganda will face Tunisia, giants Nigeria and neighbours Tanzania in the groups stages and Put knows what to expect from every opponent.
Paul Put is focused on preparing Uganda Cranes ahead of the 2025 Africa Nations Cup amidst contractual speculation with reports linking him to Cameroon.
The Belgian’s contract with FUFA ends in November and nothing has come out publicly in regards to renewal.
However, in an interview with Cafonline, Put who guided Burkina Faso to the 2013 Africa Nations Cup final hinted at staying with plans to ensure the 1978 finalists do well in Morocco.
“We have played two World Cup qualifiers in October and have also used it also as preparation and this will be followed by two friendlies in November,” said Put.
“In early December, we’ll stage a closed camp in Kampala, including an open session for fans, before flying to Rabat. Once there, we’ll play more internationals and final tune-ups before meeting Tunisia on December 23.”
Uganda will face Tunisia, giants Nigeria and neighbours Tanzania in the group stage and Put knows what to expect from every opponent.
“Nigeria: They are a perennial powerhouse. There are threats everywhere from their squad with top talent and European experience.
“Tunisia: They are highly organized, technical, tactically astute. They are hard to break down but we will see.
“Tanzania: For our neighbours Tanzania, they are a good mix of energy and familiarity — regional derbies are never easy.
“We will respect all of them, but we are not intimidated. We will give a good account of ourselves.”
Uganda will be playing at Afcon for the 8th time and the first time since 2019 when they played in Egypt.
Without knowing the conditions on the ground, it looks like the best option is for Paul Put to stay put. 🙂 He started a bit late and is finally getting his team in place.
However, FUFA should have a list of options in case Paul Put leaves. Those options should be compatible with the current program already in place to minimize disruption.
Remember what happened when Sébastien Desabre left and his replacements were incompatible with the previous system? The new systems set the Cranes back. Of course, the player upheaval and COVID lockdown, didn’t help matters.
IMHO, assuming the youth systems maintain their progress, the Cranes are one or two major tournaments away from taking their rightful place at the top of African football.
It all depends on proper planning and organization.